Here’s what you might have missed in car news this week.
2023 sure is off like a rocket with all kinds of interesting, controversial things happening in the automotive industry, especially with all the futuristic talk at CES this year. If this is the tone for the coming 12 months, we’re in a for a bumpy ride.
Cadillac wants the Lyriq EV to be classified as an SUV.
GM is petitioning the US Treasury Department to reclassify the Cadillac Lyriq as an SUV instead of a car so the EV will qualify for the new federal tax credits. That’s right, taxpayer dollars are helping affluent individuals to buy luxury vehicles all under the pretense it saves the environment and stimulates US manufacturing at the same time. Meanwhile, average people are struggling to afford groceries and to keep their aging commuter car gassed up and running.
Learn more about this move here.
Learn about the federal government’s plan for decarbonizing transportation here.
Stellantis brags about selling customer info.
We’ve warned about automakers and others selling or otherwise misusing your vehicle’s data, allowing marketers to know where you go, what you like listening to, and more. Now Stellantis is openly bragging about the practice which used to be a dirty secret, heralding its new Mobilisights unit as a great profit-generation tool. That’s right, you pay for the car and the onboard technology, then the automaker profits off that. Kind of seems like vehicle owners should be compensated for their loss of privacy.
Find out more here.
Tesla trims back prices.
The opinions about why Tesla has decided to slash prices globally by as much as 20% and what the result of this move will be are all over the place, but one thing’s for sure: Tesla still is a mover and shaker in the EV niche. Of course, not every model is seeing a price discount and some are seeing a deeper cut than others, but this is an interesting move after we saw EV prices increase last year, especially after the federal government approved taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Read more about it here.
EVs are just too big, heavy.
This problem first really came to light when some cities banned the Tesla Model X from crossing certain bridges because they weigh too much. With the federal government incentivizing the development of electric trucks and SUVs, the problem could become much worse. Now the NTSB is sounding the alarm about how big and heavy these EVs are.
Read about it here.
Image via Cadillac
